You were wonderful to our family; wonderful.
Thank you!
{google image}

Congratulations Emily
on your elected position!!!!

Running of the...Brides

Ran a quick errand to Filene's late this evening
and saw this signand then all these wedding dresses
{1300 - 2500 from which to choose}.
Tomorrow, Friday, January 29
is the "Running of the Brides" event in our city.
Read all about it here.
A mother and daughter (from Michigan) started the line
outside the store...
it currently is 12 degrees and forecast to dip to 7 degrees tonight.
If you don't want to freeze your hiney, but hope to purchase a dress,
the doors open at 8 am.
What to expect?
"Customers run full speed to the racks;

they grab as many dresses as their arms will hold.
It takes less than sixty seconds for the racks
to be stripped bare; the record is 36 seconds."
Good luck, indeed!

and...

Thoroughly enjoyed this post by our oldest daughter.

Love when the athletic and art worlds merge
to make spirited wagers on the Super Bowl
so the winning city can enjoy a
visiting piece of work from the losing city's museum.
Geaux Saints!
The Fifth Plague of Egypt by Joseph Turner
currently in the IMA
{Indianapolis Museum of Art}

community

I am moved to tears by this post by our youngest daughter

about the New Orleans community and The Saints.
I agree that winning the Super Bowl would be great but feel
that Sunday's win in the Super Dome,
with the home crowd,
was so healing, so inspiring, so thrilling
I don't see how any win this season could top it.
Good luck in the Super Bowl but for now, right now...
bask in the JOY of community!
{a photo I took this summer at the market in the Big Easy}

deafening in the dome!

Oh yea baby!!!!!!!
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!
Those players ARE the Saints...
they play for a city, a region, a state;
not themselves!!!!!!!!!
The Who Dats are in the Super Bowl!!!!
{photo one by flickr no, I have no idea;
photo two by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images}

Thinking of books and the library reminded me...
the week before Christmas Mr R went to our public library
to get some novels we had reserved.
As he located them, he noticed
Jessica's best high school friend Lindsay R's
family had some hardcovers on the same hold shelf.
Mr R pulled out their reserve slip and wrote,
"Merry Christmas! Happy reading!
Love, our family's names"
Clever and creative!
{flickr photo by omoo}

snuggle in with a book

Did you set a goal to read more this year?

In this family we are all pretty prolific readers--
books, magazines, newspapers...whatever.
You can download a nifty icon to declare your support of the
printed word in the digital era.
Want a real treat for you and your family?
Go get yourself a library card!
I can pretty much guarantee you will have a way good time.
{via pretty pretty paper blogspot}

May we continue to care.
May we continue to share.
With all people~
the Haitians with immediate desperate needs
and those in our own midst we may not have seen before;
may we be more aware, sensitive, kind and generous.
{beautiful photo by flickr ajax8055}

I am thrilled we can twitter or text funds
to aid the Haitians in this horrible disaster.
To donate $10, text HAITI to 90999.
[It will be charged to your cell phone account.]
Of course, you can donate as many times as you wish!
For more information, read this CNN article.
Our family has directly seen the Red Cross in action
{September 11 and Hurricane Katrina}
and 100% fully support them and their efforts.
Or go directly to the American Red Cross website
to make a generous donation.
[photo by flickr IFRC/Eric Quintero; Haiti Earthquake, 2010]

Emily
Welcome back from your trip!
Exciting phone call received and opportunities ahead!
Good luck!
Lll
{photo, obviously, from shutterstock.com}

Premiering tomorrow night...
Season 7 of Project Runway!

Did you notice the setting--
PR has returned to New York!

And look who's back...the judges that were AWOL from much
{most!} of last season; namely, Michael Kors and Nina Garcia.
I hope they have some great designers
{also mostly missing from Season 6, I thought.}
I counted five international designers and seven international
models-- hooray for various perspectives and accents.
I believe I read Nichole Richie is the first guest judge.
Happy designing!

Hip, hip to our first year law school daughter
whom was officially offered a summer clerkship!
Congratulations, Jessica!

When one of your owners is training for a marathon,
pups, too, need paw protection from the harsh salt and chemicals
put onto the roads to melt the snow and ice.

Tulip was soooo funny...
of course in the deep south where banana trees grow in backyards
she does not wear foot training gear.
It is safe to say she was very unsure about this as
you can see her legs are as far apart as possible.

Success!
as she shook one of them off.

It didn't go too far and was quickly velcroed back on.

Ready to go all decked out in her training coat and paw gear!
As soon as they started running she did very well
and her pads never got irritated nor cracked or split
so after all the laughing and teasing it was a
smart decision.

A few days later the fun increased when my
Mom and sistah flew in and this most fragrant, lovely
floral arrangement was delivered
to grace our table.

Much to our youngest's disappointment
this is what she was served
when we joyfully drove to one of her favorite
home spots...nothing.
It was like receiving a lump of coal.

First order of business...

was our oldest purchasing herself a Honda SUV!With cash-ola she had saved!
A gift on all accounts indeed.
Congratulations, Emily, on being a vehicle owner!

It was soooooo much fun to welcome our girls home along with

Ms. Tulipe Noire!

For Emily~
Good luck!!!
All my love, love, love,
Mom
{i think a flickr photo}

toot!

Happy New Year!
Happy new decade.
May we each make it a way good one!
{tumblr photo}